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Wenzel Sausage Celebrates 60 Years in Business
food, marshfield, russ wenzel, wenzel’s farm sausage,
Russ Wenzel likes to say his great-grandfather came to Wisconsin from Germany more than 100 years ago with a “smile on his face and lint in his pocket.”
He also brought along the tradition of sausage making, inspiring his son and grandsons to open a family business in 1949.
Sixty years later, Wenzel’s Farm Sausage has grown into a large wholesale sausage company employing nearly three dozen workers. The company makes and distributes more than 30 products under its own name, as well as four private-label brands at grocery and convenience stores throughout the Midwest.
Wenzel’s beef sticks are its most popular product, says Russ Wenzel, who now owns the company. It also produces bologna, summer sausage and kielbasa based on the original recipes Wenzel’s great-grandfather brought with him from the old country.
After more than a century, manufacturing methods have changed, relying on computer-controlled grinders and stuffers rather than filling casings with sausage by hand. But Wenzel says that his family’s commitment remains to producing the highest quality sausage. The company also offers online sales at www.wenzelsfarm.com.
Story by Anita Wadhwani
